UBTech’s 2026 humanoid robot output to grow 10-fold as costs plunge with scale economics

UBTech Robotics said it planned to expand its assembly of humanoid robots 10-fold next year to as many as 5,000 units and double that to 10,000 in 2027, as the scale economics of China’s advanced manufacturing prowess shaves a fifth off production costs every year.\nThe Shenzhen-based company was on track to deliver 500 humanoid robots for industrial use by the end of this year, scaling up since delivering the first 10 droids last year, UBTech’s chief branding officer Michael Tam said during an interview with the Post on Wednesday.\n“Thanks to the rapid shift of China’s supply chain towards humanoid robotics and our close collaboration with upstream suppliers, we expect manufacturing cost to decline 20 to 30 per cent annually,” Tam said, adding that customer demand “far exceeds” current production capability. “By roughly 2027 to 2030, we believe the unit [production] cost can fall to under US$20,000.”\nThe maker of the Walker S2 humanoid, with the world’s first self-replacing battery capability, underscores how China’s robotic companies are reaching a watershed moment, helped by falling production costs.\n\nMore than 90 per cent of the components used in humanoid robots were made in China, with the exception of certain computing chips, Tam said. Even the quality of locally made high-precision parts such as motor systems, ball screws and spiral bevel gears was quickly improving and catching up with global peers, due to the strength of China’s electric-vehicle supply chain, he said.\nUBTech currently operates two humanoid robotics factories - one in Shenzhen, the manufacturing hub of southern China, and another in Liuzhou in southwestern China’s Guangxi province.\n\n“We are among the very few robotics companies with full-stack capabilities” that combine research with manufacturing and sales, all under one roof.\nEarlier this month, UBTech said it had secured more than 800 million yuan (US$112 million) in orders for its Walker S2 humanoids, selling them to clientele that ranges from data-collection centres to automotive manufacturers.\nFor the past 20 months, UBTech’s humanoid robots have undergone real-world training inside factories operated by FAW-Audi, FAW-Volkswagen, BAIC New Energy, Geely Automotive and BYD, as well as at logistics giant SF Express and electronics manufacturer Foxconn. The robots were tested across three core scenarios - material handling, quality inspection and item sorting, Tam said.\n“The more deployments we have, the more real-world data we collect, which enriches our simulation data” in turn, Tam said. “It creates a positive feedback loop that accelerates our embodied-AI capabilities.”\nUBTech’s interim loss narrowed 18.5 per cent to 440 million yuan, on the back of a 27.5 per cent revenue increase to 621 million yuan and 17.3 per cent gain in pre-tax profit at 217 million yuan.\nThe Hong Kong-listed company closed unchanged at HK$123 on Wednesday, with a market value of HK$58 billion (US$7.45 billion).\n